Collapsible display stand



Oct. 14, 1969 TAUB COLLAPSIBLE DISPLAY STAND Filed June 12, 1967 m. 75 MM W H D 4 w n 7? @4404 WWW United States Patent 3,471,960 COLLAPSIBLE DISPLAY STAND Ronald H. Taub, 1154 Sheridan Road, Highland Park, Ill. 60035 Filed June 12,- 1967, Ser. No. 645,438

Int. Cl. G09f 1/10, 19/00 US. Cl. 411-308 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an improved collapsible display stand of the type used for displaying small articles of merchandise for sale in supermarkets and drug stores. The

stand is especially suitable for use in the sale of specials and to promote impulse type sales, for which it is important to display merchandise at busy locations where it can be easily seen and inspected by prospective purchasers.

While many types of collapsible display stands are known in the prior art, these stands have objectionable features which limit their general acceptance and impair their usefulness. Many display stands are difficult to set up on location; others are unsightly. In still others the items displayed are not readily visible or are not readily accessible. Many prior art display stand structures cannot be easily disassembled and reassembled. Furthermore, with many stands displayed items must be removed before the stand can be relocated. Few display stands are sufficiently durable to permit repeated collapse and reassembly. Others cannot be easily washed or cleaned. It is, therefore, the aim of the present invention to obviate the shortcomings of prior art structures and to provide a durable, attractive, lightweight, collapsible display stand suitable for displaying a wide variety of merchandise.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide a collapsible display stand capable of being quickly and easily set up at its site of use. It is an additional purpose to provide a collapsible display stand which can be easily moved or carried short distances without the necessity of first removing the merchandise displayed therein.

Important features of the display stand of the present invention are that displayed merchandise can be easily seen from all directions, and that the stand itself can be easily washed or cleaned and reused repeatedly.

These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a display stand according to the invention, and including a floor insert and a header card;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged and detailed fragmentary view of a corner of the display stand of FIGURE 1 showing a preferred means for fastening the header card to i the stand frame;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE 1 and showing the bag attachment means and the manner of support of the header card on the stand frame; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention, the display stand including a onepiece article supporting tray and header card.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, there is shown in FIGURE 1 a display stand having a front 3,471,960 Patented Oct. 14, 1969 horizontal bar or tube 22 supported at opposed ends by legs 24 and 24a, and a rear horizontal bar or tube 26 supported by legs 28 and 28a. The respective pairs of crossing legs 24 and 28, and 24a and 2811 are pivotally connected by transverse pins 30 and 30a, and folding links or braces 32 and 32a pivotally connect corresponding legs 24 and 28 and 24a and 28a of each pair to limit the extend to which the legs can spread, and to impart stability to the final structure. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each given horizontal bar and its supporting legs are an integral assembly formed of light-weight metal tubing bent in the shape of an inverted U.

A gusseted bag 34, preferably made of transparent flexible sheet plastic, is fastened to the bars 22 and 24 and is suspended therefrom to hang downwardly therebetween. The upper peripheral edge of the bag 34 is folded downwardly to form a hem or cuff 40, and the portions of the hem or cuff which overlap the horizontal bars 22 and 24 are heat-sealed 42 to form bar-enclosing casings 44, thus firmly and permanently securing the bag 34 to its support structure.

An article supporting tray 46 made of substantially rigid material such as paperboard and adapted for insertion in the bag 34 provides a firm floor for supporting displayed merchandise. Side panels or flaps 48 integral with and extending generally upwardly from peripheral edges of the tray 46 serve to protect the lower portion of the bag 34 from physical damage by contained items of merchandise such as canned goods. If desired, the tray 46 can be easily removed from the bag and the stand can be used without the tray for displaying unstacked soft or light-weight merchandise.

It will be appreciated, from the foregoing description that the stand is easily folded for shipping or storage, it being necessary merely to pivotally collapse the bar and leg assemblies.

While the stand may be used without a header card, in the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 1, a header card 50 adapted to display descriptive material or advertising is attached to the frame of the stand. The header card 50 is preferably fabricated of self-supporting paperboard or similar material. The rigidity of the display board is enhanced by means of longitudinally extending column structures 52 and 52a integrally formed with the header card 50 at its opposed lateral edges. As shown in FIGURE 1, the header card 50 is attached to the frame of the display stand by column fastening means comprising bands or extensions 54 and 54a of the lower end of each column 52 and 52a, each of which lateral extensions is wrapped around a corresponding rear leg 28 and 28a at points just below the rear horizontal bar 26, and secured by means of interengaging cooperating tabs 56 and slots 58 so as to encase and grip the rear legs 28 and 28a, thus supporting the board 50 to stand generally upright. A tongue or projection 62 integrally formed on the lower edge of the header card 50 and overlying a portion of the rear horizontal bar 26 aids in precluding pivotal movement of the header card 50.

In a second embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 4, a header card 70 and an article-supporting tray 72 are integrally formed of a single piece of paperboard. The tray 72 includes flaps or fragmentary sidewalls 76 at its front and side edges. Extending generally upwardly of the rear edge of the tray 72 is the header card 70, the latter being offset laterally at its side edges to form shoulders 82 and 82a, which shoulders abut the rear bar 26 at its junctures with the legs 28 and 28a. The header card 70, anchored at its lower edge to the tray 72 along fold line 86, and supported by the bar 26, is held in a substantially fixed relationship with respect to the frame of the display stand. The tray and header card may be readily removed, if desired.

While disclosures of preferred embodiments of the a pivotally collapsible frame including spaced front and rear horizontal bars, and supporting legs in tegrally formed with and extending downwardly to opposite ends of each of said bars;

a bag for holding articles of merchandise to be displayed; and

means securing said bag to said horizontal bars of said frame, said means comprising a reversely looped upper marginal portion of said bag defining an outwardly facing cuff integral with said bag and extending completely therearound; and means attaching opposed portions of said cuff to said bag to form a pair of open-ended casings encircling corresponding said horizontal bars passing therethrough.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bag is of a heat sealable plastic sheet material and wherein said means attaching opposed portions of said cuff to said bag constitute heat sealed junctures of said cuffs to said bag and extending below said bars and generally parallel thereto.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 1 and further comprising:

a header card for displaying visual descriptive material for promoting product sales, said header card extending generally upwardly of said rear horizontal bar; and

fastening means for attaching said header card to the supporting legs of the rear bar of said frame, said fastening means comprising a pair of bands and cooperating band-receiving slots, each band of said pair extending from respective opposed lateral edge portions of said header card and encircling a corresponding supporting leg of said rear bar, said slots being formed in said header card adjacent respective said opposed lateral edge portions thereof, each band of said pair having a free end portion engaging within a cooperating one of said slots for maintaining said header card firmly secured against pivotal movement about an axis paralleling said rear horizontal bar.

4. The invention set forth in claim 3, and further comprising:

4 a tongue integrally formed with said header card and extending generally downwardly from a lower edge thereof; said tongue overlying and defining shoulders abutting said rear horizontal bar to provide support for and to effect stabilization of said header card.

5. The invention as set forth in claim 1 and further comprising a tray horizontally disposed within said bag to constitute a firm, article-supporting floor therewithin.

6. The invention set forth in claim 1 and further comprising:

a header card integrally formed with a tray;

said tray being disposed to define a substantially horizontal floor within said bag'for supporting articles of merchandise; and

said header card being joined to and extending generally upwardly from a rear edge portion of said trayand abutting rearwardly against said rear horizontal bar, whereby said bar serves as a rear support for said card.

7. The invention set forth in claim 6 wherein opposed laterally disposed edge portions of said header card are offset to define shoulders abutting downwardly on said rear horizontal bar to support said card on said frame.

8. The method of attaching an upwardly opening plastic bag to depend from an opposed pair of horizontal bars, being a part of a tubular frame of a merchandise display stand, said method comprising the steps of:

folding peripheral edge portions of the upper open end of said bag to form a circumambient outwardly facing cuff including spaced portions overlying corresponding said horizontal bars; and

heat sealing said spaced portions of said cuffs to said bag thereadjacent to form a casing around each horizontal bar of said pair.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 694,289 2/ 1902 Langston 49 2,177,497 10/1939 Nash 40-125 2,209,657 7/1940 Martin 403 12 2,230,866 2/1941 Krout 20644 2,787,310 4/ 1957 Zerbe 150-49 1,508,337 9/1924 Jensen 206-45.28

ENGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner WILLIAM H. GRIEB, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 15049 

